Fishing tool



July 23, 1929. R. I. HENDERSON I 1,721,380

FISHING TOOL Filed June 14, 1928 Patented July 23, T9219.

RALPH IRWIN HENDERSON, OF CHARLESTON, WEST VIRGINIA.

'risnnve TOOL.

Application filed June 14, 1928.. Serial No. 285,440.

This invention aims to provide a simple means for gripping tools and thelike which are to be fished out of a well, and, in particular, theinvention aims to provide a novel means for resetting the tool.

. It is within the province of the disclosure to improve generally andtoy enhance the utility of devices of that type to which the inventionappertains.

l Vith the above and other objects in View, which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invent-ion resides in the combina tion andarrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed, it being understood that changes in the preciseembodimentof the invention herein disclosed, may be made within thescope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a longitudinal view of a toolconstructed in accordance with the invention, parts being in section;

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view showing the lower end of thespider or carrier, and attendant parts;

Figure 3 is a bottom plan of the spider;

Figure 4: is a fragmental longitudinal section showing a portion of thestem and part of the latch.

The tool forming the subject matter of this application comprises a body1, made up of two parts, namely a head 2 and a stem 3 threaded at d intothe head. The head 2 is supplied with any preferred means 5 whereby itmay be connected to a drilling stem (not shown), a string of pipe (notshown), or anything else whereby the tool may be raised and lowered in awell. On the lower end of the stem 3, a foot is fixed, and the foot, asa whole, is marked by the numeral 8. t It comprises a conical part 6having its smaller end downward, the foot- 8 having a cylindrical part 7at the upper end of the cone 6. There 7 is a mark 9 on the edge of thecylindrical upper end 7 of the foot 8.

The stem 3 is provided with encircling groove located above the foot 8,and the groove, throughout the major portion of its length is spiral, asshown at 10. The upper part 10 of the groove makes a complete turn atright angles to the axis of the stem, and the lower part 10 of thegroove makes a half turn at right angles to the axis of the stem. Thespiral groove 10 forms a spiral rib 11. The upper edge of the rib 11 isundercutas shown at 12, to form a seat. A closer 14 is countedon thestem 3, and has its smaller end uppermost. The closer 14: is not securedto the stem 3, but in practice the closer maintains a substantiallyfixed position on the stem, the closer being pushed upwardly intoabutment with the lower end 15 of the head 2, by a compression springwhich will be alluded to hereinafter.

A spider or carrier 16 is mounted to slide up and down on the stem 3,and to rotate on the stem, the spider being located between the foot 8and the closer 14, the spider having a bore 17 in which the stem 3 isreceived' The spider 16 carries a projection, in the form of a pin 50,which is extended into the groove of the stem 3. On the lower end of thespider 16 there is a mark 26, shown in Fig ure 2, this mark beingadapted to cooperate with the mark 9 on the edge of the part 7 of thefoot 8, for-a purpose which will be described hereinafter. There arelongitudinal slots 18 in the spider 16, the slots being adapted toreceive gripping levers 19.

There may be as many of the slots 18 and of the levers 19. as isdesired, three levers be ing shown in the present instance. At theirlower ends, the levers 19 are supplied with gripping aws 20. Thelevers-are fulcrumed intermediate their ends on pivot elements 21mounted in the spider or carrier 16, the part 16 being alluded to as acarrier because it earries the gripping levers 19. At their upper ends,the levers 19 are equipped with inwardly extended projections 22 adaptedto ride lengthwise on the conical closer 14. Inten mediate their ends,the'levers 19 are supplied with inwardly extended projections 23,adapted to rest against the cylindrical part 7 of thefoot 8 and to rideup and down on the conical part 6 of the foot.

A cup shaped member 24 is mounted on the stem 3' above the spider orcarrier 16. The said member 24 is not fixed to the spider 16, but ispressed downwardly against the upper end of the spider 16 by acompression spring 25 mounted on the stem 3. The spider 16 has atransverse opening 27 which is reduced at its inner end as shown at 28,to form a shoulder 29. A plug 30 is threaded into the spider 16 at theouter end of the opening 27 and may be considered as a part of thespider. A latch ing movement in the reduced end 28 of the 31, in theform of a pin, is mounted for slidin the opening 27 and surrounds thelatch 31.

spring The spring 34 presses at its inner end against the shoulder 29,and at its outer end against A seating member is provided, the samepreferably being in the form of a the head 33.

screw 35. threaded into the plug 30 and adapted-toengage the head 33 ofthe latch 31.

lVhen the tool is ready to be lowered into the'well, the parts arearranged as shown in Figure 1. lVhen the tool has arrived at the placeof use, down in the well, the lower ends 01 the levers 19 touch theobjectwhich is to be fished out. The weight of the device by which thetool is lowered causes the stem 3 to move down a. little in the spider.so that the undercut seat 12 on the spiral rib 11 ot the stem 3 is movedclear of the conical end v of the latch 31. The latch 31 now moves totheright in Figure 1, under theaction of the The body 1 is raised afraction of an inch or so to set the lower'ends of the levers 19 tree ofcontact with the object in the bottom of the iwell, and this permits thecompression spring 25 to begin its work, the spring 25 sliding thespider 16 and the levers 19 downwardly; As the spider and the leversmovedownward y the projections 23 ride downwardly on the cone 6, and theprojections 22 ride downwardly on the cone 14, the aws 20 being closedon the object. The heavier the objectfthev .tighter will the jaws 20 beclosed upon it, since as the carrier or spider 16 is pulled downwardlyby the weight of the object, the

projections 22 tend toride further down wardly on the conical closer 11.

lVhen it is desired to reset the tool, the spider 16is rotated onthe'stem 3 until the mark 26 on the spider registers with the mark 9 onthe foot 8. This insures that the lower halt-turn of the groove, 10 isin such a position that the inner end 32 of the screw 35 can beengagedin 11 when the screw is advanced. The screw 35 is threaded into the plug30, and the latch 31 is advanced until the inner end 32 of the latch isengaged in the lower end 10 of the groove, and with the undercut seat12. The reason for having the part 10 of the groove in the stem at rightangles to the axis of the stem is to prevent the inner end 32 of thelatch 31 from moving down along the spiral part 10 of the grooveresponsive to the pressure exerted by the spring 25. the stem 3, thespider will move upwardly on lVhen the spider 16 is rotated on the stemuntil the end 32 of the latch 31 engages the stop pin 50. The springthus is put under compression, and the conical opener 6 cooperates withthe projections 23 to spread the jaws 20 apart. The parts now are in theposition shown in Figure 1, the screw 35-is removed, and the tool is setand ready to be lowered into the well again.

lVhat is claimed is 1. In a fishing tool for use in wells, a stem havinga spiral rib, a carrier mounted to slide upwardly and downwardly on thestem, spring means cooperating with the carrier to slide it downwardly,gripping'membersmovably mounted on the carrier, means for closing thegripping members when the carrier slides downwardly on the stem,responsive to the spring means, a latch movable on the carrier andengageable with the rib to hold the carrier against downwardmovement-responsive to the spring means, mechanism for dis engaging thelatch from the'rib when the downward movement oi. the carrier isarrested as the tool arrives at the place of use in the well and whenthe stem moves downwardly with respect to the carrier, the carrier beingrotatable on the stem whilst the latch is engaged with the spiral rib,thereby to move the carrier upwardly on the stem and to compress thespring means.

2. In a fishing tool for use in wells, a stem having a spiral rib, acarrier mounted to slide upwardly and downwardly on the stem, springmeans cooperating with the carrier to slide it downwardly, grippinglevers fulcrumed intermediatetheir ends on the carrier, an upper cone'onthe stem above the carrier, and having its smaller end uppermost, alower cone on the stem below the carrier and having its smaller endlowermost, the lower cone constituting an opener "for the levers whenthe carrier moves upwardly with respect to the stem, and thejupper coneconstituting a closer for thelevers when the carrier moves downwardlywith respect to the stem, a latch movable on the carrier and engageablewith the rib to hold the carrier against downward movement responsive tothe spring means, mechanism for disengaging the latch from the rib-whenthe downward movement of the carrier is arrested as the tool arrives atthe place of use in the well andwhen the stem moves downwardly withrespect to the carrier, the carrier being rotatable on. the stem whilstthe latch is engagedwith the spiral rib thereby to move the: carrierupwardly on the stem and to compress the spring means.

- In testimony that 101211111 the foregoing as my own, I have heretoaffixed my signature.

'RALPH IRVVIN- HENDERSON.

